Ansel Adams Essay

Ansel Adams, a Pioneer in Photography

Since its inception, photography has helped change how people view the world and each other. One of the most popular photographers of the 20th century is Ansel Adams. Born on February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California Ansel Easton Adams was the only child of Charles and Olive Adams. He was extremely close to his father, who bought him his first camera, an Eastman Kodak brownie box camera, in his teens (Turnage). This gift inspired a lifelong interest in capturing the nature he already loved. By the time Ansel Adams died on April 22, 1984, his name had become synonymous with landscape photography and conservation.

Early versions of cameras were bulky and better suited for in-studio use. At that time,

A talented pianist, he eventually chose photography over music. Ansel felt he would find endless meaning in photography but he credited his relationship with music for the discipline and structure he brought to his art career (Turnage). He was always in the darkroom or taking photographs. Photography was an art to him. He believed in capturing what he saw as it was at that moment. Adams also believed in taking one photograph and getting it perfect while most photographers take multiple takes on an image and pick the best

After a return visit to Hernandez Mexico in 1980, he said he could never take another meaningful picture there because it was now a mess of trailers. Rather, Moonrise Hernandez New Mexico was a reminder of something before progress interfered (Alinder 171-172). Even the striking Golden Gate Bridge mars a natural landscape that existed before its creation. Nevertheless, Adams managed to immortalize these landscapes in their frozen moments of grandeur. Each photograph has a story behind it, when the photograph was taken, why he chose that moment, and even how he was feeling when the picture was taken. His famous photographs are based on the lighting or changes in the sky/weather. Adams photographed subjects at the right time to show the different lighting and changes. Having to pay close attention to every detail and wanting the viewer to understand exactly what he is looking at that moment was important to him.

It is remarkable that the gift of a simple camera from his father launched a career that spanned more than seven decades. In turn, Adam’s passion for photographically documenting the many landscapes of the United States inspired the public to visit and explore these places for themselves. Ansel Adams will forever be tied to the innovations he made to the art of photography, the majestic landscapes of the west, and his efforts to conserve